HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2874

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      Higher Education

Title:  An act relating to a task force on community and technical college tuition, residency, and compensation.

Brief Description:  Creating a legislative task force on community and technical college tuition, residency, and compensation.

Revised for 1st  Substitute:  Creating a legislative task force on community and technical college out-of-state tuition and residency.

Sponsors:  Representatives Dunn, Skinner and Carlson.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Higher Education:  2/2/00, 2/3/00 [DPS].

           Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

$Creates a legislative task force to study the impact of tuition and residency requirements at the public community and technical colleges.

$The task force shall deliver a report to the Legislature by December 1, 2000.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 7 members:  Representatives Carlson, Republican Co-Chair; Kenney, Democratic Co-Chair; Lantz, Democratic Vice Chair; Dunn; Edmonds; Esser and Gombosky.

Staff:  Tracey Taylor (786-7196).

Background:

The community and technical college system plays an important role in preparing a skilled workforce in Washington.  More than half of all adults in Washington have benefitted from the access to affordable education the community and technical colleges provide.  Tuition and the residency requirements play an important role in an individual's decision to attend a community or technical college.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

A task force on community and technical out-of-state college tuition and residency requirements is established.  The task force shall be comprised of four representatives from the House Higher Education Committee and two representatives from the House Appropriations Committee. The task force members shall be equally divided from the two largest caucuses and are appointed by the co-speakers of the House of Representatives.  In addition, there will be  nonvoting representatives from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Council of Presidents.

An interim study shall be conducted and focus on out-of-state tuition and residency requirements at the public community and technical colleges.  The focus of the study shall include:  (1) the impact of the state's rules in setting in-state and out-of-state tuition at the community and technical colleges on the four-year baccalaureate and research institutions; and (2) how the state's residency requirements should be applied to enrollment in distance learning courses.

A task force report is due to the Legislature by December 1, 2000.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The original bill also studied issues relating to faculty and staff compensation.  The members of the task force were appointed by the committee co-chairs, not the co-speakers, in the original bill.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For:  Things are changing very quickly and there is a projected increased need of educated employees in the future.  The Legislature needs to know if the community and technical colleges have the means to educate its future students to meet the need.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Jim Dunn, prime sponsor; Wendy Rader-Konofalski, Washington Federation of Teachers; and Lynn McKinnon, Washington Public Employees Association.